Wine Does the Heart Good

If women are going to drink alcoholic
beverages, wine is the best for keeping
their heart healthy. The current study,
reported recently in Heart, focused on
women because a majority of the
research on alcohol's health benefits
looked at men. The study included 102
women, under age 75, who had survived
a heart attack or heart surgery for blocked
arteries.

During the study, the participants were
required to log their alcohol intake for 1
week. The researchers conducted heart
studies to determine heart rate variability
(HRV). The results of the study showed
that HRV was highest in women who
drank 5 g or more of alcohol daily and lowest
in women who drank no alcohol. HRV
was also higher among women who drank
wine, even after factoring in age, weight,
and smoking habits.